Early exit from business, performance and neighbours’ influence: a study of farmers in France
利用2004-2017年法国50岁以下农民的社会保障数据，研究经济绩效和邻居特征如何影响农民在退休年龄前退出农业经营，发现年轻农民和小规模农户对自身及邻居绩效更敏感。
Abstract This article investigates the effects of economic performance and neighbours’ characteristics on farmers’ exit behaviour before retirement age. Using a unique set of social security data describing all French farmers under 50 over the years 2004–2017, we explore how these effects depend on farmers’ characteristics and how they stand relative to their neighbours. Our probit estimations reveal that younger farmers and farmers operating smaller farms are more sensitive to their own and neighbours’ performance than other farmers. Allowing for an asymmetric comparison effect between farmers and their neighbours, we uncover a nonlinear influence of own and neighbours’ profit and size.